WINTER'S EDGE RED BLEND

Saracina

APPELLATION

Mendocino County

GRAPE VARIETIES

Carignane, Grenache

WINEMAKERS

Alex MacGregor

TECHNICAL DATA

Acidity
3.28
Alcohol
14.5%

2018

90POINTS

Wine Enthusiast

MARCH 2021

Where To Buy VIEW BRAND PORTFOLIO

BACKGROUND

Saracina is located along the Upper Russian River in northern California’s wine country. The 400-acre ranch which includes a winery and sustainably farmed vineyards, is also home to a 140-year-old olive trees, vegetable gardens, beehives, and local birds and wildlife. The handcrafted, limited production Saracina wines reflect a conscious sense of this beautiful place in Mendocino County. Founded by husband and wife team John Fetzer and Patty Rock in 2001, Saracina has always been defined by a strong sense of family. In 2018, Marc Taub took on stewardship of Saracina, upholding the spirit of family ownership that has defined this iconic Mendocino County winery since inception.

TERROIR & VINTAGE NOTES

Two vineyards make up the blend in the 2019 Winter’s Edge. Casa Verde is planted to a field blend of head pruned and dry farmed 80-year-old Carignane and Grenache vines. The soil is Pinole series. The second, just a stone’s throw away, is venerable Niemi, the Grenache block planted to Alban clone 1. The soil here is Redvine series.
The harvest of 2019 was a winemaker’s dream, with adequate rains and a long even growing season.

WINEMAKING & AGEING

The vineyards were picked on October 18. The grapes were harvested by hand, 85% de-stemmed and gently crushed into an open top tank, the remaining 15% in as whole clusters. Native yeast fermentation began seven days later. At dryness, free-run juice was drained directly into neutral Burgundian barrels. Native malolactic fermentation took a full year to complete. The wine was racked only days prior to bottling. The wine was bottled unfiltered on July 21, 2021.

TASTING NOTES

The 2019 Winter’s Edge is a wine for adventurist spirits and culinary explorers. Blue/black in the glass, it’s chock full of old vine character and crunch, with bracing acidity that keeps you coming back for more. Pair it with anything, especially delightful fatty dishes. Braises, plant or animal, would be lovely.